🏀 Udoka Azubuike Named Big 12 Player of the Week

IRVING, Texas – Kansas senior Udoka Azubuike has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference office announced Monday. This is the second league player of the week honor for Azubuike this season as he claimed the accolade Jan. 27.

Azubuike posted two double-doubles in wins against Texas (Feb. 3) and at TCU (Feb. 8). The Delta, Nigeria, center opened the week scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots against Texas. He then had 20 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in the road win at TCU. In this, he became the sixth Big 12 player in the league’s history to post at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in a conference game. Of those six, three were Kansas players. The last time a KU player did this in any game was Nick Collison (24 pts, 16 rbs, 7 blks) vs. Oklahoma State on March 1, 2003.

On most national player of the year watch lists, Azubuike leads the NCAA in field goal percentage at 75.9 percent as he has 11 games of 80 percent or more this season. He also leads the Big 12 in rebounding (9.7) and double-doubles with 10. Azubuike is second in the conference in blocked shots (2.6). Azubuike has been a force in Big 12 play as he is one of only three players in the NCAA averaging a double-double (12.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg) and 3+ blocks (3.4 bpg) against league foes.

This is the third-straight and fifth time this season a Jayhawk has been named Big 12 Player of the Week in 2019-20. Sophomore guard Devon Dotson has claimed the accolade three times (12/2, 12/16 and 2/3) while Azubuike has been the Big 12 Player of the Week twice (1/27 and 2/10). Additionally, KU senior guard Isaiah Moss was the Jan. 12 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.